Jan 28, 2016(Nyamilepedia) —- Yesterday, at the midnight of January 28, 2016, at precisely 12:35Am, armed men who were dressed in a uniform similar to that of South Sudan National Security Service, after tactically positioning themselves on all corners of the village, indiscriminately opened up their machine guns on the sleeping dwellers of Makak Payam of Kewer County of Sobat State.
This brutal terrorists’ act resulted in an instant death of 24 peopl, mostly children and women who were frighteningly trying to escape the midnight danger but instead felt cheap the victims of the enemy’s well rounded trap. The victims were mass-graved in the following morning.
The attack lasted for a full hour giving the attackers all the time they need to take all the things they came to take from their victims. As things stand now beside human costs as shown above, the attackers took all the cattle of the village estimated to about 800 heads; three children abducted: 2 boys and 1 girl with their age ranging from 4 to 7 years of age; 7 other children missing likely taken as well or felt dead in a yet undiscovered locations as they may had hopelessly tried to escape with inflicted fatal wounds; and 25 people injured with 7 seriously wounded, the youngest of whom is 9 months old Changkuoth Mach Makir who had sadly loss her mother in the action as well.
Domestic animals such as cattle, goats and dogs are cross fired lying lifeless beside their dead owners. The perpetrators of Makak attack were heard shouting “Salva Kiir Oyee” as they were leaving the bleeding village.
The nature and the character of the incident undoubtedly attribute this merciless act to Murlee tribesmen, who just over a month and a half ago had carried out a similar attack on Bukteng village 10 miles away south of Makak leaving behind 19 dead, 8 children abducted and more others injured.
Sobat State’s authorities see both Bukteng and Makak successive attacks on civilians as a new front to the ongoing crisis in the country sponsored by the government of Salva Kiir in Juba.
The State’s government condemns in the strongest terms possible these brutal terrorist attacks on the innocent civilians and would like to assure the Makak survivors that we are mourning with you.
His Excellency Lt. Gen. Duer Tut Duer phoned shortly after receiving the news in Pagak and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the victims of Makak attack. As the State’s authorities, we call upon the international human rights partners and the UN to take notice of this new strategic shift in the South Sudanese war.
Salva Kiir meant it to fitting South Sudanese ethnic communities against each others. Sobat State does not want to leave the matter to the civilians as they are pushing for retaliations against Murlee tribe; but its effort to stop the civilians from coordinating their retaliatory moves might become infective as threats from Kiir’s sponsored armed groups against them are anything but real.
As to the concerned partners in the humanitarian sectors, the Makak Payam survivors need your immediate humanitarian support of food, medical supplies, non-food items and others of psychosocial relevance. There was already an existing hunger in the area owing to the delay of food assistance from WFP which had delayed for nearly 5 months. Now that their livestock which they were living on are confiscated, plus the trauma of the attack itself, their need for immediate assistant is dire. Sobat State’s government wishes for an urgent response to this man made catastrophe.
Lastly, we thank ICRC for airlifting in less than 24 hours from the incident the victims of Makak who are seriously wounded to better medical care facilities. The State’s government wishes the Makak casualties a soon and full recovery so that they can be brought back home to reunite with their families.
This report was compiled on behalf of Sobat State by Hon. Kech Nguoth Tiem. Secretary for Information, Documentation &Orientation and currently the Acting Governor of Sobat State.
He can be reached on phone at +88216 433 431 41 or at kechnguth@rocketmail.com
2 comments
hello, the Nuer need to be serious about their future. a governor is wishing the wounded a good recovering but the governor does not know what to do to these wounded people. what is this? this rebell government is a joke. Think for your people and do not be the governemtn that do not know what to do when the people are dying in murle and anyuak.. the people who has the writing these article is a joke.
My heartfelt condolence goes to the families, relatives and friends of the victims of Makak criminal attack and let the souls of the decease rest in eternal peace. The perpetrators of this attacks on innocence civilians will be prosecuted!